Sibling Rivalry
by F8th
Summary: All hail the Overlord! The Glorious Empire has been crushed. The problem is, Overlords are mortal and will die eventually. Who will rule in his place? In light of this, he fathers four children who will succeed him, but only one can become the Overlord.
1. Once the Overlad, now the Overdad

_The Netherworld Tower, Overlord's Private Quarters_

Three years had passed since the Overlord crushed the Glorious Empire, and, now that he had solidified his control, he had been forming his plans for the future. As much as it bothered him, he _was_ still mortal, and all mortals must die eventually. Sure, the magical energy that pervaded the Netherworld could be used to sustain him, but he didn't want to live on borrowed time. Gnarl had taught him to stand on his own two feet. He was a servant of evil, but the elderly Minion was a surprisingly good father figure. For his Empire of Darkness to last for all eternity, it needed someone to rule it once he had passed on. After some intense consideration, he made his decision: his Mistresses would each bear him a child, and the one most fit to rule would take his place after his death. He quickly summoned for them to give them the news…

"Why do you think Witch-boy wants to see us?" Kelda asked Dark Fay. She liked the cold Nordberg nights better than the corrupted Fairy Queen, but she always seemed to know what was going on.

"All that matters is that our lord wishes to see us, not the why of it." Even Juno, as empty-headed as she was, would have been able to hear the mocking tone in her voice. She knew all right.

_Damned fairy. Should've known she would keep quiet._

"He probably just wants to see _me_," Juno quickly took the lead, "he's just letting you two tag along so you don't feel bad."

"Oh of course _Empress, _there's no way he'd want his **First Mistress**__to be there except out of consideration for her feelings."

"pah. Enjoy that title, peasant, because I will steal it from you someday." Juno's threats were as empty as her bone-box and everyone knew it. She wouldn't dare upset the Overlord by trying to take Kelda's place.

The three of them entered the Private Quarters and tried to act like they weren't struggling to be there first. The Overlord motioned for them to sit on the bed. "Congratulations," he said in his deep, rumbling voice, "You are going to be the mothers of the next potential Overlord. Each of you will bear me a child to carry on my empire once I die." Dark Fay cackled in her strange way, but it had a hint of nervousness in it. Kelda blushed at the idea of having her childhood crush's successor. Juno simply stared at him with her mouth open.

The sounds of the first phase of the Overlord's plan echoed throughout the Netherworld, and the cheering of Minions could barely be heard outside of the Private Quarters.

_10 Months later, Throne Room_

"Sire, your Mistresses have successfully given birth. Mistress Juno is quite upset with you for putting her through this, Mistress Kelda is exhausted, but pleased with herself, and Mistress Fay had twins. Congratulations, Sire, you're a father."

_Twins, that changes things, but it won't make much difference in the long run._ "Good. Gnarl, once they are able, tell my Mistresses to meet me in my Private Quarters so that we may discuss what happens next."

"Certainly, Sire." Gnarl gave a quick bow and left to organize the messenger Minions, there was no way he was going to go running around the Netherworld at his advanced age. _This Master has an evil head in that helmet of his. His father would have been very proud..._


	2. Nothing like a little sibling rivalry

Under their father's tutelage, his Mistresses' children grew into truly evil beings. He gave them the best care an evil father could, and allowed their mothers to spend plenty quality time with them. They were tutored in the subtleties of evil by Gnarl, sent out to explore the world (with large escorts of minions, naturally), and given the best education possible by the Empire of Darkness's most brilliant scholars. He had told them that they would each be given control over one minion tribe when they came of age and their Jewels of Dominance revealed themselves.

Fay's elder daughter, Helehuinís grew into a skilled Sorceress. She first used the Evil Presence spell at the age of 7, and even began researching the long-forgotten spells used by the previous Overlord. Because of her passion for the arcane, she felt drawn to the Blue Minions. She would sit among them and listen to their babbling and gurgling, and eventually began to understand their odd way of thinking. She surprised Gnarl when he caught her conversing with the Blues in their own tongue.

Fay's younger daughter, Dínenís, was very different from her sister. She avoided contact with anyone but her mother and father, and would hide in her room clawing at the walls with her nails. She has a hobby of capturing Gnomes and using them in miniature torture devices. Despite her phobia of socialization, she developed the ability to read people extremely well. The first time she willingly spoke with anyone but her parents was during one of her Gnome Torture sessions. A lone Green was hiding in her room, suppressing snickers as the little creature squeaked in agony. He would have remained undetected if Dínenís hadn't smelled him. At first she was scared, but she eventually began to converse with the Minion and showed him how to strap the Gnomes into a tiny rack.

Juno's son, Eden, grew into the regal figure that only the offspring of someone raised in the Glorious Empire could. He was royalty, and he knew it. He snubbed his nose at all but his father. He looked down on his mother for her lack of intelligence, Gnarl for his age, and the other Mistresses simply because his mother didn't like them. He felt drawn to the Reds, he didn't know why, but when he saw them throwing fireballs at each other in some strange variation of catch, he was entranced by the flames. He tried to join the Reds in their game, but was left with the first of a series of terrible burns for the Blues to heal later.

Sardok, the son of First Mistress Kelda, grew into a strong warrior. He got into arguments with his siblings which ended in fights more often than not. As a child, he would go to the Kennels where the Browns tended their mounts and fight the vicious wolves unarmed. The fights became a sporting event for the Minions, and they would gather and place bets on who would win the fight. Kelda disapproved of Sardok's bouts, but didn't make much of an effort to discourage him either.

_20 years later, Throne Room._

The Overlord was standing before the fruits of his labor. They had been given the finest educations, the best training, and, most importantly, proper evil upbringings. They were the perfect successors. "My children," his voice echoed in the large chamber, "for the past twenty years you have been groomed to become my successors. You have all come of age and your Jewels of Dominance have activated, and you will now be given your choice of the Minion Tribes. They will follow your orders as if they were my own, they will throw their lives away as if it were in my service, and they will aid you in your next undertaking. Choose carefully." One Minion from each tribe filed into the Throne room and bowed to the Overlord before kneeling and awaiting the children's choice. Helehuinís called the Blue to her side in its language and he stood beside her. Dínenís gave the Green an eye signal and it climbed onto her back. Eden called the Red over with a wave of his hand, and the little pyromaniac threw a fireball at that hand before standing beside him. Sardok actually grabbed the Brown and held it next to him.

"We have made our decisions, Father." they said in unison. The Overlord nodded, "Then I will tell you what happens next. The Minions have been hard at work building you your own towers within the Netherworld, and you will be living in them from this point on. The four of you cannot succeed me, for there can only be one true Overlord. Your task is to either force your siblings into submission or to eliminate them. Once they have all surrendered or died, the victor among you will be named my successor."

The children turned to leave, but kept their eyes on each other. "Know the rules of this game before you hide away in your towers:

_- My_ tower is considered neutral ground. If any of you are caught striking against your rivals within my walls, I will kill you myself.

- Gnarl has assigned the most intelligent Minion of each tribe to you to act as an advisor. He tells me that they have already been sent to your towers. Use them to the greatest possible effect.

- I am neither your ally nor your enemy in this, and I will not aid you beyond the 10,000 gold that I have placed within your treasuries.

- You are free to form any alliances that you may see fit to. You are also free to betray your compatriots at any time. I am the exception. I do not ally with those who are below my station.

- My Mistresses, your mothers, have been instructed to give nothing but their encouragement.

- Finally, remember that this will determine whom is to be my successor. As such, you may use any means necessary to achieve your goals. Nothing is below a truly evil being.

Now go." the Overlord dismissed them with a dramatic wave of his hand.


	3. Just a quick rundown:

***At this point I feel that I should have profiles of each of the Overlord's children. Also, they all have their father's eyes. (Overlord traits are very dominant)

Helehuinís, elder daughter of Mistress Fay:

Appearance: Wears dark red (almost black) robes trimmed with bright blue lightning bolts going down her arms. Hides her face with a hood the same color as her robe and covers her mouth with a blood-red scarf. Her Jewel of Dominance embedded on the back of her left hand.

Personality: Very intelligent. Has a passion for magic. She is able to speak in the Blue's strange language. Just as diabolical as her father. Leans towards Domination.

Minions: Blues

Specialty: Spellcasting

Weapon: The Warlock (Mana-stealing longsword)

* * *

Dínenís, younger daughter of Mistress Fay:

Appearance: Wears a form-fitting dark leather outfit that exposes a fair amount of cleavage. Pale complexion. Has unnaturally long nails that she paints red, they're very sharp too. Hides only the upper half of her face with a black bandana. Her Jewel of Dominance is embedded in her right hip

Personality: Takes after her mother; unstable, possibly insane. Would rather hide in her stronghold than be in the field of battle. Isn't above using underhanded methods to achieve her goals. Leans towards Destruction.

Minions: Greens

Specialty: Observation

Weapon: The Clean Slicer, but scaled down to dagger size.

* * *

Eden, son of Mistress Juno:

Appearance: Athletic build. Wears armor much like the Durium armor in Overlord, but redesigned for his smaller build. Doesn't hide his face. Has brown hair that he keeps about shoulder length. He has a permanent scowl that expresses his disgust for everyone except his father, and, when he is before him, the scowl turns into a shit-eating grin. His Jewel of Dominance is embedded in his left forearm.

Personality: Something of a pyromaniac. High opinion of himself (the apple doesn't fall far from the Glorious tree). Intelligent, but single-minded. Not good at planning. Leans towards Destruction.

Minions: Reds

Specialty: Deception

Weapon: The Berserker

* * *

Sardok, son of First Mistress Kelda

Appearance: Well-developed muscles. Wears armor modeled after his father's Minion Armor, but without the gauntlet and bracers and has studded leather covering his arms instead. Also wears a helmet similar to his father's Minion Helmet, but is lacking its crowns. Has his Jewel of Dominance embedded in his right bicep.

Personality: Extremely stubborn and intimidating. Ready to start a fight with his siblings in the blink of an eye. Good at planning, but has a habit of missing some crucial detail. Doesn't have a leaning towards either alignment.

Minions: Browns

Specialty: Combat

Weapon: The Reaper (Life-stealing axe)


	4. She's got the Blues

_******Note: "This indicates the Blue's language" **_and _**This indicates thoughts in the Blue's language"**_

_Helehuinís's Tower, that evening._

Mist anxiously paced in front of Helehuinís's Throne as he awaited her arrival. _**Lady Helehuinís will be here any moment. I do hope that Gnarl wasn't patronizing me when he said that I was the best Blue for the job. **__**Master, lend me your might!**_ Helehuinís teleported into the room with a burst of blue light. Mist jumped in surprise and addressed her, "Greetings, Lady Helehuinís. I Mist, the Blue Gnarl ass-sighn… told to add-vice? you, I honored to serve Master's daughter." Helehuinís gave the Blue a small slap, "You are not to speak in this language. My siblings could be scrying upon me as we speak." Mist cringed and nodded his head. **"As you wish, milady. I never could fully grasp Human speech like Gnarl could. He is a strange Brown and the Blues have never completely trusted him. Is there anything you wish of me, milady?" **Helehuinís nodded and sat on her throne, savoring the feeling of power that felt woven into the cushions, **"Explain to me the nature, history, and abilities of the four Minion Tribes." **

"**Certainly, milady. The four Tribes are said to have been formed by the first Overlord after the first Minions dug their way up to the surface from our home in the Netherworld. He, being the mighty and observant lord he was, noticed the many differences between our kind and divided them into the Four Tribes so that he could keep track of them. **

**-- The Browns are the melee fighters and the hardiest of the Four Tribes, but they are also the least intelligent. Gnarl is the exception to this rule; he leads us in the absence of a Master. Giblet is also fairly intelligent, for a Brown, he has to be in order to smith whatever the Master may wish for.**

**-- The Reds are ranged combatants capable of throwing fireballs over a short distance. The Reds are also immune to heat or flames of any kind and are even able to extinguish fires by drawing the flames into their tiny forms. They don't do well with enemies who insist on getting into melee range; they are fairly delicate.**

**-- The Greens are stealthy assassins who can cause far more damage than a Brown to a target, provided that they approach it from behind. Greens are able to become nearly invisible when they decide to hide. They are immune to all poisons, toxins, and chemicals and are able to absorb them in a similar way to the Reds. Their worst characteristic, ask any Minion and they'll agree with me on this one, is that they have the absolute worst hygiene of the Four Tribes. We Blues spent months adjusting to their odor after being held captive in a **_**sewer**_** of all places.**

**-- The Blues, your faithful servants, are very fragile and don't do well in combat. But, we are immune to all forms of magic except for Overlord Magic since it wouldn't do if our Master couldn't use us in every possible way. We are also the only Minions capable of hurting creatures formed from magic such as ghosts or fey. Our truly unique ability, though, is that we are capable of swimming. Unfortunately, this isn't very useful in the Netherworld. **

**Did my explanation satisfy you, milady?" **Helehuinís nodded and dismissed Mist with a wave of her hand. After enjoying the feeling of her throne for a while longer, she began to examine her new tower. It was arranged much like her father's. There was a forge attended by one of Giblet's apprentices, there was the Private Quarters (she'd need to decorate at some point), and there was a cavern with a single spawning pit in the center. The cavern was partially flooded to make the Blues feel more at home.

_Simple, functional, dark, and regal. That is just perfect for the next Overlord. My sister is going to be too busy playing with her Gnomes to plan something, both of my brothers are too thick-headed to even know how to plan properly, and I… am probably too confident. I cannot allow pride to cloud my judgment since, if I was in their boots, I would allow my ego to assure me of victory then be wiped out because I failed to properly prepare my defenses._


	5. She's Green with envy

****Note: I do not own any part of the Overlord series, and I do not intend to repeat this fact since it makes me feel sad.

****Other Note: I received some encouraging reviews, and they really helped to motivate me. Thanks to y'all, I was able to sit myself down and finish typing the chapter I stared nearly a month ago, so, please, enjoy the next chapter of Silbing Rivalry.

_Dínenís's Tower, the same evening._

Dínenís's arrival was announced by a loud rumbling and a flash of light, and her allies, the Greens, cheered to welcome their new Mistress. Instead of bowing or posing dramatically in recognition of the attention, she shrieked and hid behind a pillar. This, of course, led to a stunned silence on the part of the Greens and much embarrassment on the part of Dínenís. When neither party seemed to be willing to break the silence, Gouge, the Green Gnarl had assigned to be her advisor, came out of his hiding place behind the Throne.

Gouge hissed at the lesser Greens as he made his way to where Dínenís had hidden as if to say, "See what you did?!" He approached her pillar and cleared his throat. "Misstresss, pleassse forgive them. They ssstupid Greenss. Gouge sssmart Green." he tapped his head for emphasis. Dínenís peeked out from behind her hiding place, "Are you the Green that Gnarl assigned to be my advisor?" Gouge nodded eagerly, "Yesss, Misstresss. Gouge is your advisssor." "Good." Dínenís stepped out from behind her pillar and dusted herself off, "I didn't want to have to hunt you down."

Dínenís had been a terribly shy child; she was almost sociophobic in fact. As she aged, though, she slowly got over her shyness. She had little choice to since speaking with people would become a necessity when she claimed the throne. She had grown into a twisted, but still quiet, woman. "Gouge, what will be required of me in the coming days?" "You will need to build up your defenssesss, but Greenss can do that. I would suggesst ssimply adjussting to your new ssurroundingsss. Your rivalss will be too busy doing the ssame to sstrike you, Misstresss." Dínenís nodded, "That makes sense, but, just in case they are already planning something, I want eight Greens stationed in _everyone's_ towers. They are to report back immediately if anything untoward seems to be on the horizon."

Her emphasis on "everyone" obviously worried Gouge, "D-does Misstresss mean the Masster's Tower too?" He wasn't afraid to die if the Master caught him; death was a fundamental part of serving the Overlord. What the Master would do to him while he was still _alive_ sent shivers down his spine. "The Masster ordered Greens stay out of hisss tower after the First Misstresss fell ill from our ssmell during her pregnancy. The Masster wouldn't be merciful to those of us he caught…" Dínenís had to acknowledge Gouge's point, but she had to ensure obedience if she was to succeed her father "So? Father says many things and gives many orders. If the Greens are acting under my orders, then, if he were to catch one and execute him, he would be indirectly aiding the others in their mission. He said he wouldn't do so, and his pride won't let him contradict himself, so the Greens hiding there are safe as long as they have proof that they are following my orders. To that end, fetch me some parchment; I should prepare documents for the Greens being sent to my father's tower…"

_About ten signatures later,_

Dínenís dropped her pen and examined her work before handing the completed documents to Gouge, "Give these to the Greens you will be sending to Father's tower, and make sure they know to show them to him if they are confronted." Gouge nodded and eyed the papers sceptically, but he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Greens were great at backstabbing, but diplomacy was alien to even him. _How can a piece of parchment protect someone from the Master's wrath? _Regardless of his own thoughts, he bowed and scurried off to make the necessary preparations.


	6. He's seeing Red

Author's Note: Let me say one thing: _It is insanely hard to write for Eden!_ I actually had a fit at one point and stopped even trying to write for a couple months.

_Eden's Tower, still that evening_

Eden stepped off of his transport, one of those floating rocks, and stared at his new tower. He didn't know whether to be ecstatic that his father had given him a place of his own or to be disappointed at the Minions' stonework. Either way, the Reds had gathered at the entrance to welcome their new Master. The throng made a path as a single Red stepped forward; he was obviously a Minion of importance (as if Minions could be important). "You're my advisor then?" Eden asked. Scorch, the Red in question, nodded excitedly, "Yes Master, I am your advisor, Scorch if Master pleases."

Eden marched past the gathered Minions and into his Throne Room, "Fine then advisor, advise me. What should I do now?" Scorch couldn't help but admire how condescending his young Master's stare was, "Well Master, Gnarl has said that the best defense is a strong offense, so perhaps a preliminary raid on one of your rival's towers is in order?" Eden plopped onto his throne and appeared to actually be considering another's suggestion. "If I were to attack, it would be best to take out the largest threat. So, advisor, who do you think the largest threat is?"

Scorch stared at the ground, "My apologies Master, but I know little of your rivals beyond that they have the other tribes at their beck and call…" He heard Eden whistle, and, when he looked up at Eden, he got a boot to the face. "Some advisor you are. You don't even know the most basic information about my enemies! I should go give Gnarl a swift kick and demand that he assign a competent Minion to take your place." Eden drummed his fingers on an armrest and waited for the bruised Red to pick himself up, "If you can't tell me about them, then at least tell me about what the other minion's can do." his tone suggested that Scorch's head would get more than a kicking if he failed to meet Eden's expectations. "Lady Helehuinís's Blues are dangerous since they can raise fallen minions, but they die so quickly that their healing can be overcome by a proper slaughter. Lord Sardok's Browns would probably tie with the Blues for most likely threat since they are so much more durable and stronger than your Reds. The Greens that follow Lady Dínenís are less of a threat if only because they smell so terrible. As I'm certain you've noticed Master, it is fairly hot in the tower, and that is mostly because your Reds have been making an effort to direct lava into our spawning pit. Gnarl says that heat makes bad smells more obvious, so any Greens would be sniffed out, literally, before they could cause any damage."

Eden mulled over what he had been told. It wasn't anything his father or Gnarl hadn't taught him, so he knew he wasn't being misinformed. Eventually, thinking about the best course of action took a backseat to his Glorious heritage and luxury became his concern. "Which way to my Private Quarters, advisor?" Scorch was bewildered by his young Master's sudden change of topic, but hastened to reply, "Go up the stairs behind your Throne, Master. The Master, your father, had each tower designed more or less identically to his, just on a smaller scale." Eden nodded dismissively and followed Scorch's directions to his Private Quarters.

The Private Quarters Eden had been given were hardly impressive, at least compared to his father's. There were no Minion Eunuchs to care for his mistresses, seeing as he had none. _I'll have to remedy that… _The mound of gold the minions had dumped next to his bed was smaller than he would like, but it was better than his father had started out with. "All in all, not too disappointing I suppose," he said to himself, "I'll begin my campaign tomorrow…" He stretched and plopped himself onto his bed.


End file.
